Pelosi Offers Rare Praise of McCarthy for Meeting with Taiwan President

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 03: Outgoing House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stands w
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Jacob Bliss
Washington, DC

In a rare move, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) praised Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Following McCarthy’s meeting with Tsai at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday, Pelosi praised the current Speaker. Previously, during Pelosi’s time as Speaker and McCarthy’s time as minority leader, the two lawmakers from California did not have the best relationship.

“Today’s meeting between President Tsai of Taiwan and Speaker McCarthy is to be commended for its leadership, its bipartisan participation and its distinguished and historic venue,” Pelosi said in a statement.

On Wednesday, McCarthy hosted a meeting with Tsai along with over a dozen lawmakers, including Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), the chair and ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, in addition to House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA).

With the meeting, McCarthy became the most senior elected official in the U.S. to meet with the Taiwanese president on U.S. soil, which still garnished criticism from the Chinese, who warned him about the two meeting in person. On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said that the meeting “undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Additionally, Li Xiang, the embassy’s liaison to Congress, also sent a four-page email on Tuesday to warn of there being consequences if the meetings took place.

Pelosi’s comment also came after she visited the island nation last August, despite China warning her about making the high-profile visit. At the time, China ramped up military drills near the island to try to intimidate any visitors at the time. However, despite the intimidation tactics by China, Pelosi still successfully made the trip.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also met with Tsai last week during the Taiwanese president’s trip through New York City.

“We had a very productive conversation about the mutual security and economic interests between America and Taiwan. We also discussed our shared commitment to democracy and freedom,” Jeffries said in a statement on Wednesday. “I wish President Tsai a safe return as she transits through California and travels back to Taiwan.”

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.

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